1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a density control and anchoring means for an agricultural bagging machine and more particularly to both an improved density control means and anchoring means for an agricultural bagging machine for achieving the optimum internal density of bagged materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
Agricultural feed bagging machines have been employed for several years to pack or bag silage or the like into elongated plastic bags. Two of the earliest bagging machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,687,061 and 4,046,068. In the prior art bagging machines, silage or the like is supplied to the forward or intake end of the bagging machine and is fed to a rotor which conveys the silage into a tunnel on which the bag is positioned so that the bag is filled. As silage is loaded into the bag, the bagging machine moves away from the filled end of the bag in a controlled fashion so as to achieve both uniform and maximum compaction of the silage material within the bag. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,805, silage is forced by means of a rotor from the intake chamber of the machine through the output chamber of the machine and into the agricultural bag with a backstop structure yieldably engaging the closed end of the agricultural bag to resist the movement of the bagging machine away from the filled end of the agricultural bag as silage is forced into the bag. The structure of the '805 patent includes a pair of drums rotatably mounted on the bagging machine with a brake associated therewith for braking or resisting the rotation of the drum with a selected brake force. A cable is wrapped around the drum and is connected to the backstop.
Although the cable drum and backstop structure of the '805 patent and other similar machines do function generally satisfactorily, the cables, which are positioned on opposite sides of the bag, can create openings or holes in the bag which will adversely affect the fermentation process within the bag. A further disadvantage of the cable drum and backstop structure of the devices such as shown in the '805 patent is that the cables must be rewound after the filling of an individual bag. A further disadvantage of the cable drum and backstop structure of the machine such as disclosed in the '805 patent is that a dangerous condition exists should one of the cables break.
In an effort to overcome some of the disadvantages of machines such as disclosed in the '805 patent, an attempt was made in U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,666 to achieve the desired bagging operation while eliminating the need for the cable drum and backstop structure. In the '666 patent, the wheels on the bagging machine were braked to provide the desired resistance to the filling of the bag. Although the brake system of the '666 patent apparently met with some success, it is believed that machines such as disclosed in the '666 patent experience slippage difficulties in wet field conditions which adversely affect the bagging operation. It is also believed that the brake means alone on the bagging machine such as those disclosed in the '666 patent do not achieve the desired compaction of the silage material within the bag.
In an effort to overcome the problems of the prior art, applicant patented several inventions relating to different means for controlling the density of the bagged materials and anchoring the machine to the bagged materials. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,671,594; 5,297,377; 5,425,220; 5,857,313; 5,463,849; 5,464,049; 5,775,069; and 5,517,806, all of which utilize one or more U-shaped cables which function both as a density control means for the material being bagged and as a means of anchoring the machine to the bagged material, thereby resisting machine movement without the use of cables and back-stops or braking devices.
Under the prior state of the art, the density control cable is attached to the frame of the bagging machine with the “fixed end” of the cable secured to the frame with a shackle U-bolt and the other end of the cable being connected to a hook or pin, equipped with a piston-like releasing device, which is also attached to the machine frame. From these two points of attachment, the cable is routed around a pivot wheel and through horizontal slots. Each pivot wheel is connected by cables and pulleys to a hydraulic cylinder which horizontally moves them in tandem either closer or farther apart. In this manner, the operator is able to adjust the width of the loop in the cable to match the type of material being packed. By varying the width of the cable loop, and thereby changing the shape of the loop in the cable, the density of the packed materials is either increased or decreased.
One of the problems of the prior art devices is that when the bagging operation has been completed, it is difficult to release one end of the cable so that the cable may be pulled from the bagged material. Although the density control and anchoring means disclosed in applicant's earlier patents are believed to represent a significant advance in the bagging art, it is believed that the instant invention represents a significant advance in the art.